


Symphony for the Dark Beast

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:11:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: A glimpse into the last moments of Hyrule as the Great Calamity washed over the kingdom.





	1. Prelude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three new Link amiibo are over a week late in all of Canada, and Draco is in the pissiest mood ever.
> 
> On the bright side, the Master Trials DLC is the perfect blend of difficult and fun. The Tingle series having a Night Speed effect seemed kinda lazy and unfitting - a Day Speed set bonus would have been a little more appropriate - and I think they could've had the whole Fused Shadow assembly for Midna's Helmet instead of just the top one, but I don't have all too many complaints. The Trial of the Sword is straight-up awesome, and walking around with the Master Sword in permanent face-of-Malice mode is too much fun.
> 
> The second DLC pack being titled "Champions' Ballad" doesn't sound like it'll conflict with my plans for Breath of Wilderness... but just to be on the safe side, I'm not gonna write it until Holiday season or later. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what I've got coming here.

"King Rhoam, your Majesty."

Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule stood at a window in chamber above the Castle Sanctum. "What is it?"

The soldier who had entered stumbled. "I-It's the Guardians, sir. They're ready to mobilize."

"Have I not already issued their destinations?" Rhoam reprimanded. "Tell the commanders to get into position. They've already been briefed on where to strike from."

"Y-Your Majesty," the soldier insisted, "is... is it safe to remain in the castle? With the Calamity's return looming so close?"

Rhoam bowed his head. "...I know not."

"What?"

"Spread the word," he commanded. "Those who wish to flee the castle have leave to do so. And any who think less of those who flee will be disgraced, once the Calamity is fallen. Am I clear?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes, your Majesty."

He turned and descended the tower, leaving Rhoam to set his hand against the glass. From here, he could see clear across Hyrule... yet his gaze was fixed on the mountain in the east. Mount Lanayru. Whereupon lay the Spring of Wisdom - his daughter's destination.

 _Zelda... forgive me._ He closed his eyes.  _Forgive your fool of a father. I who pushed you away from that you loved... for my own single-minded desperation. Please..._

A single heavy footstep.

There was no rattle of the armour that would give a Hylian that weight. Nor was there any crack of stone that would sound in a Goron's every footstep. Rhoam raised his gaze and found a dark glow had permeated the chamber; in the glass, he could see no reflection but his own, yet he knew he was not solitary in that chamber.

"Who are you?"

The voice that answered was deep, and heavy - yet it echoed about the chamber with a ferocity that spoken words oughtn't.

 **"In every era I have lived, I have been given another title** **."** Another heavy footstep. **"Demon King. Dark Lord. Prince of Shadows. Master of the Forsaken. The Man from the Desert.** " Another step. " **No matter the age, the people of this kingdom have feared me. In time. Once they have learned what I am."** Yet another. **"But as a king in your own right, I have no business demanding you speak to me with reverence."**

Rhoam turned.

Standing there, in the chamber above the Sanctum, was a figure of no race in Hyrule - of no mortal flesh. Its body was pure black, and nearly liquid, flowing about the air. Unholy purple flames burned upon its helm, along its arms and legs, across its shoulders. Its eyes were voids of white - yet it was a white that carried no light to it, but instead a darkness beyond anything Hyrule had known.

**"You may address me by the name my mothers did. You may call me..."**

The tremor began in the Sanctum, and from there it spread to all of Hyrule.

**"Ganondorf."**

* * *

When the Calamity returned, all of Hyrule knew it.

The world shook, shattering glass in every home and throwing every man, woman, and child from their feet. Avalanches began in Hebra, provoking Rito to take wing lest they be swallowed by the snow. Pits of sand fluidized in the wasteland, threatening to swallow travelers and Gerudo alike. Rockslides started on Death Mountain, the volcano threatening to erupt on the Gorons mining there. Waves rose in Zora's Domain, striking at fishermen upon the shore.

And at the base of Mount Lanayru, the Princess and her Champions knew it the instant their scourge had risen.

"It's awake... Ganon!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned during the author's notes of Intervention in the Era of Calamity, the tip for Wolf Link claims that he's summoned from "another plane of existence", which is comparable to the Great Sea being part of "another dimension" in the decidedly Child-Timeline Hyrule Warriors, which implies that Breath of the Wild takes place in the Adult Timeline. That being said, I'm going continue pointedly avoiding the timeline matter, and that dark ominous ramble is mostly just me trying to give you as many hints as possible.


	2. Serenade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ocarina players should be able to make the connection between every chapter's title and who will be involved... with one possible exception that might be a bit odd if you haven't read Intervention.

Link's instruction that Mipha ride to the Zora River proved effective; Valor had crossed the Rabia Plain far faster than she could have on foot, and from there it was a simple matter to leap into the Rutala River and swim to the Domain as fast as her fins would take her. In no time had she arrived, and the splish-splish footsteps of Zora dashing about echoed from above her as she climbed one of the flows and landed in the center of the Domain.

"Mipha!"

The young voice coming from east of the Domain drew her attention, and Mipha turned to see a dark-scaled Zora boy dashing across the bridge from the East Reservoir Lake. "Sidon!" she called, stepping forward. "What are you doing!?"

"We saw the monster from the lake!" her brother said quickly. "Something dark flew out of it, and it hit Ruta!"

"Ruta!?" Mipha was immediately worried - the Divine Beasts were crucial to their effort in putting a stop to the Calamity. If Vah Ruta was damaged, she would be in a hurry to repair it before Link and Zelda reached Ganon. Should they arrive before she was done...

Sidon saw her panic plain on her face. "She's not hurt," he insisted. "It didn't hurt her. But her lights changed! They got all mean and red!"

 _Ancient Sheikah technology couldn't have been shut down by an offshot from Hyrule Castle, could it?_ Mipha shook her head. "I'll find out what's going on," she told Sidon. "You go back to Father." Then, before he could act; "And no detouring by the Veiled Falls! I told you, that pedestal doesn't do anything!"

"You don't know that!" Sidon argued. "We haven't tried it with  _me_ yet!"

"Go!" Mipha insisted, a smile on her face that was halfway between amusement and exasperation.

Sidon started dashing up the westerly stairs. When he reached the top, he glanced down to find his sister still watching; Mipha gave him a pointed look and a jerk of her head towards the throne room, and with a groan he started into the king's chamber.

The Zora Champion shook her head with a sigh as she turned to the bridge. "That  _boy_."

* * *

Mipha reached the Reservoir in short order, finding Muzu and Seggin waiting there - on guard to stop mischevious Zora from approaching Vah Ruta while her pilot was gone. She saw, now, what Sidon had been talking about; the lights that traced the Divine Beast had turned ominous red.

"What happened?" she asked them. "Sidon told me something had struck her."

"We saw the Calamity rise," Seggin told her. "It launched darkness to the four corners of Hyrule. One of them struck Ruta; her lights went dark, and now... well, you can see what's become of her."

The princess glanced at her hand as her healing light shimmered between her fingers.  _Will it work on a Divine Beast, I wonder?_

Muzu saw her turn her gaze back to Vah Ruta. "Lady Mipha, don't tell me you're thinking of...!"

"I have to," Mipha insisted. "I promised her. I promised Link, I'd be ready. And I swore to Zelda I'd see the Calamity fallen. I have to get Ruta out of there."

She started towards the Divine Beast... and then stopped.

"...Why was Sidon here?"

"He wasn't," Muzu insisted. "He was on Shatterback Point."

" _What!?_ " Mipha whirled around. "Who let him go to Ploymus Mountain?"

"None of us!" Seggin insisted. "We think he slipped past Kapson while he was talking with the warriors."

Anger born of worry burned on Mipha face, and she groaned as she turned back to the Divine Beast, starting down the walkway. "That  **boy!** " she snapped. "Reckless child makes Link look cautious.  _Oh, look at me, I'm the Zora prince and the fastest swimmer in the Domain! Obviously, I'm_ unstoppable _in the water. Maybe I'm the future of Zora warriors? I'm sure it won't hurt if I jump off Demise-damned **Shatterback Point!**  _I swear, when I get back to the Domain...!"

* * *

Vah Ruta was distressingly unresponsive as the Zora Champion swam up to her side. As Mipha pulled herself onto the landing with the travel gate, she was shocked to find a black  _gunk_  covering the entry stone, a dark mist emerging from it. She knew in an instant what this was - Malice, the very essence of the Calamity.

And it was trying to take over the Divine Beast.

Mipha quickly stepped up to the pedestal, finding the Malice hadn't wrapped the stone completely; patches of Sheikah stone were still visible, and the recognition touchpoint was just barely uncovered. She quickly set her hand against it - and a sudden  _pain_ shot through her fingers as they made contact with the Malice, causing her to pull away. The blue ripple emerged from the touchpoint all the same, and that androgynous voice emerged from within.

**Access denied.**

"Damnations," she muttered, glancing at her hand. After a moment, she held it towards the stone again, healing light emerging from her plam, and the Malice upon the stone started to tremble. After a moment, it burst out from around the pedestal, falling to the surface, inert; then she set her hand against it again, taking no pain from the contact this time as the ripple emerged.

**Champion recognized. Access granted.**

The barrier over the entryway vanished, and Mipha quickly unhooked her Lightscale Trident from her back. Warily, she started into the Divine Beast, surprised to find the interior relatively unharmed; a Guardian Scout stood across from the entrance, just as it should have.

And on seeing Mipha, it extended its upper portion, an arm unfolding to brandish its solid-light blade - as it should  _not_ have.

Mipha acted quickly, charging toward the Scout before it could blast her at range. The blade was retracted as its arm moved forward, reappearing to swing down at her; the Zora Champion stepped aside and thrust her Trident into its eye. This single blow, from the finest Zora-made weapon in Hyrule, was more than enough to destroy the Scout in an instant, causing it to pull back as it started to spark from within. Mipha took a single step back as it shone bright and burst, its pieces scattering on the floor of the Divine Beast.

"He's got the Scouts," she realized. "He'll have the Guardians in Hyrule Castle. Link won't have anything to help her. I have to get Ruta into position." She quickly charged towards the main control unit, intending to set her into position atop a mountain to the south.

She halted the moment she touched the water, for she felt it - a presence that did not belong here.

"...Show yourself."

Vah Ruta's chamber darkened a hundredfold, the sunlight filtering through her eyes blot out. Shadowy substance gathered upon the walls of her helm, Malice seeping through as it gathered into a mass of darkness - and in time, that mass fell towards the waters, bursting the moment it made contact. Mipha made to step back and found she couldn't - a barrier had been raised to lock her in the region of the control unit - and she could only watch as the Malice parted to reveal a dark figure.

Its body was forged from the Calamity, a thin build that writhed in place; but it also carried portions of the same dark stone that composed the Divine Beasts. Its helm was a three-pronged plate, asymmetrical and impractical; one arm ended in threatening claws, but the other ended in a cagelike figure of sorts.

And from that cage extended a long blade of solid light - a lance.

Mipha swallowed heavily, readying her Lightscale Trident in both hands.

_Link... I'm sorry._

* * *

The cry of Divine Beast Vah Ruta echoed across Zora's Domain. Its trunk was raised from the water, extended heavenward - and to the shock of all who onlooked, a torrent of water surged from its trunk, high into the air.

Unseen by even the sharpest eyes, a thin silver shape flew from Ruta's back; it soared through the air and plumetted into the waters of the Domain. There it would remain for ten years - as long as it took for any of the Zora to dive deep enough to notice Lady Mipha's Lightscale Trident.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, these are all gonna be pretty short. Sorry.


	3. Minuet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite my belief that Breath of the Wild sits in the Adult Timeline, I lack any concrete proof; so when I was trying to figure out the origin of Medoh's name, I rejected "Medli" out of hand. Mido, however, is part of the Era of the Hero of Time, before the branch, so that's where my theory goes.

Revali soared from the Lanayru Promenade back to Rito Village in a matter of minutes. Vah Medoh was still circling above the village - but his lights had darkened, and were now a threatening red. As he neared, the Rito Champion reasoned it would be a bad idea to fly straight to the Divine Beast without getting information from the village; he quickly arced into a dive, soaring towards the Flight Landing.

No sooner had he brought his wings down to slow his fall than he saw a bright-feathered Rito making her way towards the landing. Revali quickly touched down and stepped forward. "Elder!" he called.

The Rito elder, Fura, bowed her head. "Master Revali," she greeted hurriedly.

"What happened to Medoh?" Revali asked.

"It was the Calamity," Fura explained. "I was atop the village when it happened. When the Calamity rose, a darkness spread out from it, chasing the Divine Beasts. One of them struck Medoh. I fear the Calamity has affected the ancient Sheikah technology. Medoh may be damaged."

Revali shook his head. "He can't be damaged enough to stop him," he insisted. "He's still flying the same path I set him on when I left. If I can get to his controls, he'll still be in condition to fire at the Calamity."

"You sound far more certain than you ought be," Fura reprimanded. "Have you become so acclimated to the Sheikah technology that you do not fear the blows of the Calamity? If Medoh is affected in any way, your commands could fail. The Divine Beast may strike you down."

The Rito Champion sighed. "Well, maybe," he mused. "But getting to say 'I told you so' to Master Revali oughta give you some pretty epic stream cred."

Fura punched him in the shoulder. "Wiseass."

A laugh as Revali turned around. "Make sure his perch is clear," he requested. "I don't want to hurt anybody when I get Medoh in position."

Heavenward gales gathered around his feet, and he lashed his wings down as he shot skyward, leaving the elder to shake her head.

* * *

In short order did the Rito Champion arrive at Vah Medoh. The Divine Beast's cannons were armed - which worried Revali, as they had  _not_ been when he'd left for Sanadin Park - but they made no attempt to fire at him as he approached. That was somewhat offset by the presence of a Guardian Scout on the lower level, which  _did_ make to fire at him; the short bursts of a Scout didn't have too much strength to them, but Revali still made a quick dive to the side so as to avoid taking a shot while he was flying; he quickly soared up to the tail of Vah Medoh and landed, stepping towards the entry stone - which was covered in black gunk.

"Malice," he spat.

He'd taken a lecture or two from Link on this stuff before; touching Ganon's essence was going to hurt. However, a few bouts of idle boredom had revealed to him that the entry stone didn't require  _contact_ so much as just for the presence of the Champion to get  _near_ \- he quickly waved his wing over the touchpoint, prompting the blue recognition ripple to emerge from it. He quickly pulled away to avoid hitting the Malice with any idle wavers as the androgynous voice emerged from the stone.

**Access denied.**

"What!?" Revali glanced up and down the stone. "Okay, that's a problem. Hmm..."

A moment's contemplation; then he stepped aside and leapt from Vah Medoh's tail, soaring towards the Guardian Scout. It had barely taken notice of him before he drew his Great Eagle Bow, nocked an arrow, and fired as it was brandishing its solid-light blade; the shaft split into three, one shots slamming into a leg and another striking the arm holding the edge as the third impaled itself in the Scout's eye.

The blade fell to the ground, and Revali quickly slung his bow over his shoulder and glided over to the platform, grabbing the blade carefully; then he flew back up to the entry stone and used that edge of solid light to shave the Malice off the stone. Once it was clear, he cast the blade off the edge and set his wing against the touchpoint.

**Champion recognized. Access granted.**

"That's more like it," Revali mused, stepping inside once the barrier had vanished. There were a few globs of Malice around the inside of the Divine Beast, but for the most part there was no indication of the Calamity having done anything. After a quick scan around the interior, Revali caught the updraft to Vah Medoh's back, intending to hit the main control unit and get the lights of the Divine Beast back into shape.

He was interrupted the moment he set foot there.

The skies around Vah Medoh darkened, the clouds thickening and swirling about to blot out the sun. The Rito Champion quickly drew his bow as shadowy substance started to seep up through his back, Malice gathering in a mass of darkness - and once it was large enough to obscure the control unit from Revali's view, it burst, launching black gunk in every direction. Revali made to step back and found a barrier keeping him on the back of the Divine Beast; he could do nothing but watch as from the Malice emerged a threatening figure.

It looked like it was made from the Calamity itself, with a scrawny frame that was constantly moving; yet it also looked to be made like the Divine Beast, its body covered in dark stone. Four long spikes emerged from its shoulders, behind a face that looked like a shield someone had given up on halfway through the forging; its torso and one arm ended in pipes that glowed with Sheikah light, while the other arm ended in claws.

The pipes below jetted smoke to keep it aloft; the one on its arm was turned towards Revali, and launched a blast of light.

The Rito Champion leapt aside as the blast connected with the barrier; it didn't have the force of a Guardian's beam, being rather more reminiscent of the short bursts from the Guardian Scouts. Nonetheless, that wasn't something he wanted hitting his wings; a gale launched him into the air before the Malice construct could turn its aim back at him. He quickly drew an arrow and flipped backwards, taking aim at the creature directly below him; as he fired, the construct drifted to the side, causing all three arrow shards to clatter uselessly to the ground.

"Dammit."

Revali quickly completed his flip and soared away as the creature raised its cannon, firing a blast at him again; the Champion arced around to circle it as it fired one, two, three, four bursts that petered out uselessly in the air. He quickly took aim again, waiting for the creature to start moving before leading his shot to strike it; this time his arrow shards hit true, but two of them clattered uselessly against the plate that formed its face; the other lodged itself in one of the spikes coming from its back, yet the construct barely seemed to notice, raising its cannon again.

He managed to avoid any critical blows, but the blast collided with his wing, causing him to tumble to the ground. The wound was enough to stop him from flying, but not to stop him from drawing his bowstring; he landed with a rough roll and readied himself as his opponent hovered low. Revali took aim again, trying to get a shot in its eye; yet no sooner had he fired than the creature twisted, lashing its arm up. A  _twister_  forged itself in the air, catching the arrow shards and throwing them every which way; one of them skimmed Revali's feathers as he dashed out of range of the whirlwind, barely managing to avoid getting thrown off Medoh's back.

He couldn't fly with his wing wounded, but his gales could still launch him into the air; yet as winds gathered around his feet, the construct took aim again. Revali had just started rising when the shot fired, slamming into his other wing and causing him to scream in pain. His own winds threw him higher into the air, and as he righted himself he found his weapon gone; the blast had knocked his bow out of his hands.

The Rito Champion glanced down as the Malice construct raised its cannon; and as he reached the peak of his flight, a crimson light linked him to the barrel.

_...Dammit._

* * *

The screech of Divine Beast Vah Medoh rumbled down upon Rito Village. As every eye in the village was turned heavenward, they saw a crimson glow wrap it - an impenetrable barrier that would bar entry to all.

A single, wise individual saw the shape falling from Medoh; it tumbled down to the village and landed upon the Flight Landing. Yet it did not break even after a fall from as high as the Rito could fly - for mighty and durable was the construct of Master Revali's Great Eagle Bow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comparison between Sheikah Slate pedestals and a WiiU GamePad's amiibo touchpoint is intentional.


	4. Bolero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would very much like to write Hyrule Warriors, and -Draco- would ALSO very much like to write Hyrule Warriors. But a Warriors game is NOT conductive to novelization.
> 
> Fortunately, it IS conductive to venting one's anger. The late amiibo are one thing, but Draco found some punk on GameFAQs who... well, why don't I just quote him here. He's been doing challenge runs of Hyrule Warriors just to keep his mind off it.  
> "He believes a game should only be played until 100% completion is achieved, and then put away for the rest of its existence; he doesn't understand the concept of something to look forward to; and he has the nerve to hack the game, mine its data, and then insult the dev team for being prepared for a future release. He doesn't even consider the possibility that maybe those amiibo will never be made! Kanto had a cave full of Zubat that was supposed to change with a bunch of e-Reader cards that never came out! What an asshole."

Daruk rolled straight to Goron City as fast as he could, not stopping for bush or Bokoblin on his way to Death Mountain. Vah Rudania was on the side of the volcano where Daruk had left him, but the bright blue glow of the Divine Beast was absent - it seemed as though the Sheikah tech had died.

No sooner had he approached the entrance to the city than a young Goron dragging a drillshaft hailed him down. "Lord Daruk!"

"Hey, kid, what are you doing out here?" Daruk reprimanded.

"We all saw that big pig at Hyrule Castle!" the Goron boy replied. "This black gunk went after Rudania and hit him in the nose!"

The Goron Champion scoffed, propping his Boulder Breaker over his shoulder. "Is that why he's gone dead?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't think he's dead," he insisted. "I think he just changed. They lights are harder to see now, but I'm sure I saw his eyes still glowing!"

"I hope you're right, kid," Daruk mused. Then, rubbing the young Goron's head; "Alright, you get somewhere safe. Make sure none of the other kids are hanging around out here, either! I'm gonna go get Rudania ready to light Ganon up!"

The boy pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah! Get 'im!"

* * *

Daruk was most displeased to find several Guardian-esque figures flying around Death Mountain, shining lights down on the footpath. He'd seen Vah Rudania's sentries back when the Champions had first been assigned their Divine Beasts, but had never deployed them... which raised the question of who  _had_. Fortunately, the Divine Beast made no reaction when he passed under the beam of the first sentry; he quickly proceeded to ignore their presences and make his way up the volcano, clambering onto Vah Rudania as soon as he was close enough to the tail.

The entry stone was covered in a threatening black gunk that Daruk had a firm suspicion was Ganon's work. Warily, the Champion raised his hand and slowly touched his palm to the touchpoint, which was still uncovered (by a little); a burning pain ripped through his hand on the contact, and he pulled away with a yelp. The ripple was still fading when his hand was clear of the pedestal, and the androgynous voice of the Sheikah mechanism emerged.

**Access denied.**

"Well, damn." The Goron Champion gave the stone a quzzical look.  _It's gotta be Ganon's gunk that's doing it. I wonder..._

Vah Rudania was sitting quite close to one of the streams of lava that flowed about the upper regions of Death Mountain; Daruk left his crushing blade at the entry as he hopped off the Divine Beast's tail. Fast as he could, he dipped a hand into the molten stream and flung it towards the entry stone; he gave it a few volleys before climbing back on, and was pleased to see that it had indeed melted away the gunk, with the ensuing residue from the lava's cooling easily brushed away by Goron strength.

**Champion recognized. Access granted.**

"There ya go." Daruk hoisted his Boulder Breaker over his shoulder again as he stepped back inside, finding the interior dark. The blue-flame lanterns at the entry and about the interior were still lit, and the Goron Champion quickly picked up a torch lying at the base of the steps and lit it, holding it out before him as he stepped forward. He wasn't all too surprised to find a few patches of Ganon's gunk lying about; what  _did_ surprise him was when he got through the barrier in the middle of the Divine Beast... and a Guardian Scout fired at him.

His defensive glow lit up around him at the last moment; the blast returned the way it had come, hitting the Scout in the eye, and it stumbled back sparking for a moment before collapsing on the floor and bursting into pieces.

"Son of a..."  _He's taking over the Guardians now, is he?_ Daruk glanced up at the roof of the Divine Beast's interior. "We gotta get ready."

Before long, the Goron Champion had made his way out to Vah Rudania's exterior. Being on the side of the largest volcano in Hyrule, the Divine Beast wasn't sitting level (its right side was raised just about 20 degrees from even balance, leaving Daruk walking lopsided), but a Goron was no stranger to climbing hills, and although the Sheikah stone was a bit smoother than a mountainside, it was nothing he couldn't handle. The main control unit had gone a menacing orange, and Daruk paused for a moment when he saw the Sheikah technology not looking the way it was supposed to.

The torch was still in his hand; after a moment, he tossed it forward.

The world around Vah Rudania darkened, the sunlight beaming down through the heat almost fading away; Daruk could have sworn for an instant that the back of the Divine Beast had gotten  _cold_. Malice that had been gathered across the arches of Rudania's back, unseen until now, started to converge at the peak of one ring, almost immediately above the control unit; a mass started to gather there, and Daruk quickly swung his Boulder Breaker down, slamming it challengingly against the surface below his feet as the mass became large enough to fall, bursting to reveal his opponent.

It looked like Ganon had carved it from his own body, its bulky frame shifting this way and that like the gunk that littered the Divine Beast. But at the same time, it looked like part of the Divine Beast, with part of it looking like smooth Sheikah stone. Its face was a solid plate with two skyward protrusions, like a crude attempt at someone carving a Lynel's face; one arm ended in thin, sharp claws, and the other in what looked like a sword's hilt.

A blast of solid light emerged from that hilt, forming a massive crushing blade that dwarfed the Boulder Breaker and the Goron who carried it.

Daruk raised his empty hand out at his side. "Well, come on, then!"

The construct started forward, raising its blade skyward to bring it down; Daruk quickly moved his hand across his body, and his protective glow lit up around him as the blade started moving. It collided with the barrier and immediately flew back, and the Boulder Breaker was seized in both hands to put more weight behind the swing that Daruk slammed into the stone face, throwing its wearer back.

"You don't wanna mess with a Goron, buddy!" he warned. "I've had boulders bouncing off me since before we even had to worry about Ganon!"

He started forward, and when that heavy blade was swung towards him from the side he only raised his protection again; the attack bounced away, and Daruk quickly slammed his Boulder Breaker in an earthward blow of his own. This time, the construct managed to move away from it, floating above the control unit as a flame appeared in its hand - one that it quickly launched forward.

Daruk scoffed. "Really?" he asked. "You're gonna use fire against a guy made of rock? I can pick up lava with my bare-"

The flame collided with the floor in front of him... and  _exploded_ , throwing the Goron Champion across the back of the Divine Beast and slamming him into one of the Divine Beast's arches. He groaned as he fell to the surface, slamming both hands to the ground. "Okay," Daruk muttered, "that was  **not** fire." He got to his feet and saw a figure sliding down the back of Vah Rudania, stopping against the control unit.

His Boulder Breaker.

The Goron Champion charged towards his fallen weapon, but the construct floated in front of him, blade drawn across its body. Daruk raised his protection readily as the Malice swung against it; but rather than be knocked back, the blade continued across his guard and dragged its wielder into a spin. The second blow had Daruk skidding across the surface, protection or no protection, and when his opponent slammed a third blow into him, that was too much; the Goron Champion was thrown back across the surface, rolling weakly and landing half off the back of his Divine Beast.

By the time he could see clearly again, that blade was already raised to be brought down on him.

_Son of a..._

* * *

The bellow of Divine Beast Vah Rudania trembled throughout Goron City. Elders and children alike turned their attention to Death Mountain in time to see its tail raise - and then slam against the side of the volcano.

Amidst its eruption, those who watched could be forgiven for failing to see the heavy shape that impaled itself high in the city grounds. But in time, they would carve the stone to represent their Champion - in the place where they found Lord Daruk's Boulder Breaker.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing that really bugs me about Hyrule Warriors is the Twilight Era. Midna should be fighting with an army of Twili. Legends' version of Cia's Tale kinda irks me, too, but I think that's just to stop players of the WiiU DLC from messing up.


	5. Requiem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To whoever designed the AO3 submission page: the Chapter Publication Date field should auto-update if it is left unchanged when a draft chapter is saved. If I start a chapter on the 13th and don't submit it until the 21st, then it should register as updated on the 21st.

Urbosa's black Gerudo stallion, whom she had dubbed Shade, had in stamina what he lacked in speed; the Gerudo Champion had him at a full tilt straight from the Lanayru Promenade to Gerudo Canyon, and the horse wasn't even breathing heavy enough for her to hear it. She left him at the stable, charged into the desert, and threw her Daybreaker down to surf the sands.

She could see Vah Naboris even from the canyon; her lights had dimmed, and were now a pale red. As she passed the Kara Kara Bazaar, she saw the telltale signs of a sandstorm brewing about the Divine Beast, and so quickly hastened her way to Gerudo Town. The soldiers on guard had their spears crossed to bar the way of a Hylian voe trying to get inside; on seeing the Champion approach, they quickly stood tall, though keeping their spears out. "Lady Urbosa!"

Urbosa hopped off her Daybreaker, landing with one foot on the rim to flip it up into her hand. "What happened to Naboris?" she asked.

"We don't know," one of the soldiers insisted. "There was a tremor, it shook the whole desert. Then this blackness emerged from over the canyons, and struck her. That was when she changed."

"I saw it," the voe prompted, drawing Urbosa's attention. "It was that shadowy thing at Hyrule Castle. It sent blasts of darkness all over Hyrule. One of them came to the desert. By the time I got here, the Divine Beast looked... like that."

"So Calamity Ganon has hurt her," the Champion mused. "Right, then." She set a hand on the voe's shoulder, and he yelped as he felt a spark of her thundering fury. "I don't have to tell you whether voe are welcome in Gerudo Town, do I?"

"N-No, miss," he confirmed.

"Alright. Off with you."

As he took off, one of the guards shook her head. "I never understand how you can do that," she admitted, a smile on her face.

Urbosa smiled back. "It's all in... giving them a taste," she insisted.

* * *

In no time at all had the Gerudo Champion donned her Thunder Helm, and was surfing her shield behind a sand seal en route to Vah Naboris. A solid covering over her face protected her eyes from the sandstorm, and the magic of the helm would keep her safe if the Sheikah technology had been so damaged as to turn the Divine Beast's lightning upon her.

As she neared the Divine Beast, Urbosa became concerned; the Divine Beast always descended low enough for her to enter when she approached, and the rope ladder she often hung off the entry while she was inside was lying on the sands between Vah Naboris' hooves. "Wonderful," she murmured. "How am I supposed to get in now?"

Her gaze when to the legs of the Divine Beast, which were segmented - each segment just barely taller than she was.

About an hour later, Urbosa leapt from the top of Vah Naboris' left hind leg to the entry stone at the platform on her underside. She didn't _land_ in front of it, but she managed to grip the edge of the platform and then swing up without too much hassle. Malice caked the entry stone, and pooled in a few other places on the walkway leading up; a Guardian Scout across the walkway saw her and quickly extended its upper portion, drawing its solid-light blade.

Urbosa sighed, drawing her shield and sword.  _Dammit, Ganon._

A swing of her shield and a strike of her sword cut the Guardian to pieces, and Urbosa sheathed her shield and sword again before stepping up to the entry stone. The touchpoint atop it was just barely uncovered; she quickly flexed her hand and reached forward, pulling away the moment she saw the blue ripple that told her it had picked her up. The androgynous voice of the entry stone emerged, unhindered through the Malice.

**Access denied.**

The Gerudo Champion kicked the base of the stone and the Malice upon it; and from the cloudless skies above Gerudo Desert, a blast of lightning emerged, slamming into the Divine Beast, coursing through its build, and converging on the stone before her. The Malice burst out around it, falling to the floor lifelessly, and the voice emerged again.

**Champion recognized. Access granted.**

"You're damn right," Urbosa muttered, glancing at the remains of the Guardian Scout again.  _If Ganon's turned the Scouts on us, who's to say he can't turn the Guardians on Link? I've got to get ready._

She made her way up to the main platform, worried when she found that Vah Naboris' interior had been rotated, leaving the circuits disconnected. The main control unit was still upright, however; with links to the walkway on the side of the Divine Beast, she was able to make her way outside and then continue towards the unit.

Her feet came to a halt halfway down the steps.

"Voe are not welcome here."

The sandstorm outside seemed to intensify, blotting out the sun enough to look like night had fallen. The Gerudo Champion drew her shield and her sword as Malice began to seep between the cylinders, gathering above the control unit; it gathered as a solid mass until it was heavy enough to fall from above. She quickly leapt off the walkway, giving her room to react as it hit the platform before the unit and burst.

The creature that emerged was no voe - nor was it even living. It looked like solid Malice, carved out of the Calamity's own flesh; yet at the same time it looked like a twisted mockery of the Divine Beasts, having less body mass than a grown Goron but still constructed of Sheikah stone. Its face was a massive vertical spike like a shield that was designed specifically for shield surfing; one arm ended in what seemed to be a blade hilt, and the other in a circular disc.

From the hilt emerged a sickle of solid light; around the disc expanded a thick shield.

Urbosa swept her Scimitar of the Seven forward. "Let's dance, Ganon."

Her smirk fell when the creature vanished - no,  _moved_ , hovering back and forth faster than anything Sheikah-made had business moving. It zig-zagged through the air, and the Gerudo Champion realized where it was going at the last moment; she raised her shield as it seemed to manifest before her and slammed its sickle into her Daybreaker, throwing it aside and causing her to stumble back - just out of range of its next few hits. She quickly swung her blade forward, but it only clattered ineffectively against the construct's shield as it zipped away.

"Too fast!"

The Malice raised its sickle as lightning gathered at the tip, hurling a sphere of voltage towards her; Urbosa only leapt aside, letting the voltage bounce of Vah Naboris' circuits before she charged forward. The construct zipped forth again; this time she leapt as it neared her, soaring over its whirling blows, and as its last one cut through the air she swung her blade, arcing through one, two, three dancing blows before it moved.

It zipped one way and then the other before appearing before her again, and Urbosa had no chance to react before it slammed its edge into her shield with enough force to throw it off her arm; she tried to block its next blow with her sword and found it beaten clear out of her hands. The third blow slammed into her arms when she raised them to guard herself, and she was thrown clear across the Divine Beast, a trail of crimson scattering across the cylinders as she came to a stop.

As she tried to rise, she saw the construct move again.

Her arms still bleeding, she leapt at the creature before it was in position to swing, grabbing onto its helm and locking her arms around it. The Malice of its body stung at her flesh, but she nonetheless grabbed at her opponent's sword, trying to pry it off and deprive it of its weapon.

It was then that she realized it did not have a _weapon_ ; like the swords of the Guardians, this thing's blade was a part of it.

That was all she managed to figure out before the construct moved, and the sheer speeds at which it moved sent her flying across the battlefield. She tried to right herself and found the creature hovering high above the control unit.

_A warrior's death... is nothing to be ashamed of._

* * *

The roar of Divine Beast Vah Naboris travelled over Gerudo Town. Grown vai anywhere in a position to see it watched across the desert as it took a single step forward - not towards the wasteland canyon, but wandering across the desert.

Sandstorms would come to cloak it, and it would hurl lightning at any who dared approach. It should be considered a miracle, then, that in time, someone would come across - buried in the sand - Lady Urbosa's Thunder Helm, Daybreaker, and Scimitar of the Seven.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draco's been keeping notes on the Gerudo language. From the looks of things, "vaba" is 'mother', and I was sorely tempted to have Urbosa go "Vaba-!" and leave you to draw your own conclusions on where that was going.


	6. Nocturne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moment of utter idiocy: "I should try fighting the four Blights in the Sanctum with the Champions' weapons. Oh, wait, you need to kill the Blights IN ORDER to get the Champions' weapons."

"Come on, Link, stay with me. Stay with me!"

Link swam in and out of consciousness as two pairs of deceptively strong Sheikah arms carried her through the storming rain. It was warm despite the downpour; so when the rain ceased as they stepped into a cavern, the chill managed to keep the Hylian Champion from falling away again.

"There you are," a male voice said in her ears. "Come now, walk with us. Show me you can still walk."

Somehow, she found the strength to move her legs, walking along as they did. The dark cave was draped in a blue hue, and she found herself gazing about - but her vision was hazy, stopping her from seeing anything more than lights dancing in her vision. One set of arms pulled away from her, and a female voice commanded, "Get her out of those clothes. If something catches, she'll get killed in here.

The tunic of goddess azure was pulled from her torso, and the shredded trousers torn from her legs. Her torn sarashi was unbound from her chest and thrown aside, and Link was guided to what looked like a stone bed in the center of the area, and laid down. A stronger blue light shone briefly from beneath her, and voice echoed around her that was not quite male nor female.

**Shrine of Resurrection activated. Beginning Slumber of Restoration.**

* * *

"A perfect likeness."

Lady Impa, the leader of the Sheikah, stood before a large display, on which had been projected a picture taken by the Camera rune of Princess Zelda's Sheikah Slate. Zelda had handed over her Sheikah Slate, instructing Impa to leave it for Link to find upon his waking - but with one alteration. The princess had predicted that the Slumber of Restoration, if it should draw on long, would deprive him of his memory... so if the images captured on the Slate should spark them to return, there was one memory that could strike Link with fear enough to drown her courage, should she witness it before she reclaimed the rest. The memory of the night she fell to the Guardians. So had Impa had the image transferred to canvas; now she opened the slate's album, and touched lightly the image that Zelda had captured of that burning field.

_[Delete]_

With the threatening picture removed, she went about scouring the settings of the Sheikah Slate, so as to prevent the rest of the pictures from being lost. She would not stand to let Link be left without her memories, not if she should choose to seek them out.

_Permanently lock current album pictures?  
[Yes] [No]_

Once the album was secure, Impa hooked the Slate on her hip, as Zelda so often had.  _Now, everything is set. All that remains is for me to leave the Slate in the Shrine of Resurrection... and seal it from the inside._

* * *

Many a threatening beast lay between Kakariko Village, nestled on the border between Necluda and Lanayru, and the Shrine of Resurrection, high atop Hyrule's Great Plateau. But it was no insurmountable challenge to a loyal servant of the Royal Family; soon enough, Impa arrived at the Temple of Time that had housed many a sacred ceremony before the Calamity's threat had begun. Now, the temple was adorned in dust, nigh useless for anything of reverence.

Still, there were worse places for what Impa had in mind.

She drew from a pocket of her trousers a medallion of blue metal - one of the few small pieces of Sheikah technology that they had unearthed since Zelda had departed for the last of Hylia's sacred springs. Touching the medallion to the back of the Sheikah Slate caused it to resonate, and she promptly set it down on the floor of the temple and held the Slate against it.

**Travel Medallion registered to map.**

With her exit route secure, Impa made her way into the Shrine of Resurrection. Link was submerged in an arcane fluid, trapping her in a sleep like death - an illusion greater than that of any magic, for in time, it would restore her. The scriptures they had uncovered on this Shrine had reported this place bringing back war victims who possessed less flesh than bone; the scars Link had endured, though not to be scoffed at, would be a simple matter for the Slumber of Restoration to heal.

Impa set the Sheikah Slate into a pedestal at the entrance, holding it upright; it was quickly drawn into the pedestal's surface and held flat, then rotated as its screen lit up.

_Seal Shrine of Resurrection?  
[Yes] [No]_

She set her finger against the [Yes] option.

_Confirm destination travel gate_

A featureless grid that represented the land of Hyrule rose up; Impa felt a strike of pain on seeing that the Divine Beasts, whose travel gates Zelda claimed to have registered, were absent from the map. The only destination she had was the Travel Medallion; with a sigh, she touched her finger to her destination. The segmented door in the antechamber slid down, and once it had sealed the interior door, too, descended.

_Shrine of Resurrection sealed._

Light draped Impa's figure, and she closed her eyes as she felt her body fade away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was really short, but I couldn't really drag it any further than this.


	7. Lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody else get the weird feeling that Calamity Ganon isn't so much -Ganon- as he is just a pure form of darkness, given that name because Hyrule expected it?

From atop the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle, one could see everything that the Calamity did to Hyrule. The Guardians gathered about the castle had been possessed with Malice; everyone within, and most of those in the Castle Town, had fallen to their tainted light. The Divine Beasts had been turned, and with the death of each of their pilots they now wrought terror upon the peoples they protected.

Everything could be seen... but there was no one to see it.

King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule lay dead on the floor of the chamber. The Calamity swirled about the castle, and its incarnation stood in the Sanctum itself, the heart of the castle.

_...n..._

The flames upon its body, burning high, started to recede.

_...anon..._

The voids of its eyes, closed in concentration, now opened.

_Ganon._

A young woman's voice reached through the castle, catching his mind. The Calamity arced around, turning its visage on the edge of the field, and he saw, approaching the castle, a divine figure. Her body was adorned in a white dress, caked in mud; locks of gold flowed from atop her head, and even at that range her blue eyes carried a piercing glare.

And on the back of her right hand shone a golden crest of three triangles.

The mark of the gods.

* * *

Zelda stepped through the ruins of Castle Town, still burning. Guardians were yet crawling about the ruins, but with Hylia's sacred power still burning in her blood, they could not focus on her enough to strike, and so turned away. Pools of Malice receded as she approached, leaving a clear path through which she could walk. Alas, she was far too late; the peoples of the castle and the surrounding buildings had already fallen to the Calamity.

As she set foot on the bridge to Hyrule Castle, she found the great gates shut. Yet that did not stop a figure from stepping through them, its body pure darkness itself. Solid Malice formed a humanoid figure upon which flames of unholy violet burned, its eyes lightless voids of white as it approached to meet her.

She halted at ten paces, and the Malice did the same.

**"The Princess of Hyrule. How I've longed for this."**

Zelda narrowed her gaze. "What are you going on about?"

Ganon closed his eyes.  **"In every era I have lived, I have been bested by a new warrior, and a new princess. No matter the age, they have managed to overcome me, time and again."** Zelda felt her gaze falter as he opened his eyes again.  **"But it has never been so immediate. The hero has always failed to best me before this kingdom knows who and what I am."** He stepped forward walking past the princess, and Zelda kept her back to his.  **"Every time I have fallen, I have asked myself; why? Why do the goddesses give me a taste of victory before they issue my defeat? Why do they not have the hero strike me down before I rise?"**

Mechanical footsteps caused Zelda to turn as a Guardian approached.

 **"Then, ten thousand years ago, I had my answer. I was not given my taste of victory. The mighty weapons atop the four corners of Hyrule weakened me with their light. The hero was defended by these automatons until the moment he struck me down. And the goddess was never in any danger as she was rid of me."** Ganon turned back to her.  **"Terror had wrought Hyrule already. By the time I rose, they had already faced enough strife to last them an era. And in that strife, they found strength."**

"He had already faced an enemy enough to try him," Zelda realized.

 **"Yes. Each hero must endure suffering of his own. He must make alliances, and find companions to stand at his sides. He must surpass the trials, and craft a bond with the goddess. The blade of evil's bane is but a conduit for the strength borne of suffering."** Ganon stepped past Zelda again.  **"In that era, he had suffered enough. His allies were the smiths that forged these automatons. His companions were the warriors who armed those weapons. The goddess had already bonded with him. He took up that sword only because he did not possess the power to repel evil."**

The Guardian marched away, and Zelda turned back to him.

 **"Those Divine Beasts were made to outlive their pilots.** **These Guardians were made to survive eras on end. And ten thousand years later, they are your downfall."** A menacing chuckle as Ganon turned round once more.  **"No, you did not make this choice. It was forced on you. Your father hunted down the victory of his predecessors, and pushed you to unlock the power of the goddess... in a vain effort to spare you the suffering that every hero and every goddess must endure. And now, Hyrule pays the price."**

Zelda bowed her head, closing her eyes. "I ought have known."

**"What?"**

"Every effort Father has made to unlock the secrets of the Sheikah technology has been met with obstruction, hindrance, and failure." She turned away. "We found the Guardians, but the scriptures told of numbers a thousandfold. We assigned Champions to the Divine Beasts, and each struggled in some way to pilot them. Link still has yet to hear the voice inside the sword that seals the darkness. And me?" She raised her hand before her, the mark of the gods still shining on her hand. "Nothing I tried to do unlocked this sealing power. But it did come to me - when I thought Link would be struck down. When I was wrought with terror, when I had already seen the hero take so many wounds that the Master Sword could barely be swung... it came to me."

She turned back to Ganon. "It's as you said."

**"You cannot think that such a trifle has made the hero suffer so much."**

"No," Zelda confirmed. "My father's mistake will not be so easily remedied. Link must suffer - and for trying to stop that, all of Hyrule must suffer as well. But you  _will_ be struck down. I know not how long it will take. I know not that anybody alive today will survive long enough to see you fall. But you  _will_ fall."

Ganon spread his hands, and the swirling Calamity roared from high above the castle.  **"You cannot defeat me on your own!"**

"But I can hold you back," Zelda warned. "I cannot free the Divine Beasts, I cannot wrench the Guardians from your hold, but I can stop the Calamity from raging beyond these walls!"

The Calamity lunged towards her.

And Zelda raised her hand, and her divine light stood between the dark beast and the beautiful land of Hylia.


End file.
